The Oyo State Government has approved the sum of ₦4.5 billion as financial support to the survivors and victims of the Bodija explosion, which occurred on January 16, 2024.
This decision was taken at the state executive council meeting held at the governor’s office on Wednesday.
Governor Seyi Makinde had, on December 24, 2024, inaugurated a 10-man committee, headed by the state deputy governor, Bayo Lawal, to oversee the management and disbursement of relief funds to those who lost property to the explosion.
No fewer than five people died in the January 16, 2024, explosion caused by a water gel-type-based explosive triggered by an electric spark at house number 8, Aderinola Street, rented by one Mahmoud Camara, a Malian engaged in mining and storing explosives in the house.
The incident also saw 78 persons sustain injuries, 335 persons affected, 58 houses damaged, including 16 companies or business operators, churches, mosques, three schools, as well as the University College Hospital.
According to the Commissioner for Information, Dotun Oyelade, in Wednesday’s statement, this is apart from the over N200m that the government had expended on accommodation, feeding, hospital and security bills following the tragic incident.
Also, the council approved the recommendation of the 10-man committee to revoke the Title of two properties off Adeyi avenue, scene of the explosion, in the overall interest of the public and that the government should build a monument on the location of the revoked land in memory of the victims of the tragedy.
The council also frowned at “disinformation, half-truths and mischievous lies being peddled by persons purportedly representing the Residents on the role which the State Government has played in the Bodija explosion saga.”
The council said such insinuations are unfair and mischievous, and the government will not be discouraged in taking its time to do what is just for its citizens.
The commissioner said some beneficiaries were engaged in family disputes which required painstaking intervention of the 10-man committee.
The government will also return to the owners of other properties adjoining Ground Zero to rebuild their homes at the advice of government-paid Structural Engineers.
According to the commissioner, the government will, through the Ministry of Justice, ensure effective prosecution of the suspects so far arraigned in Court, while efforts are being intensified to apprehend other suspects linked to the case but at large.
The government’s announcement came hours after the victims released a statement describing as baffling that 11 weeks after the Relief Fund Management and Disbursement Committee submitted its report to the state governor, Seyi Makinde, they still wait for disbursement of the promised funds.
It would be recalled that the governor, represented by his deputy, while receiving the report on February 26, promised that the recommendations would be reviewed and implemented without delay.
The victims’ latest plea was contained in a statement titled: “Bodija Community Still in Ashes: A Response to Oyo State Government,” on Wednesday, signed by the President, Bodija Estate Residents’ Association, Muyiwa Bamgbose and Chairman, Dejo Oyelese Vigilante Group, Iyiola Oladokun.
Acknowledging that lives lost cannot be replaced and that government provided temporary accommodation and medical treatment after the incident, the victims urged Makinde to honour his promise to bring healing and justice to the Bodija explosion victims.
Their statement read, “Today, 473 days later, Bodija remains in ashes. The community continues to mourn, to rebuild, and to plead, largely without governmental empathy or intervention.
“This is a community of retired civil servants, senior professionals, and elderly citizens who have dedicated their lives to the development of Nigeria in various departments and institutions. Many now live without homes, their dignity diminished, and have been unfairly portrayed as ungrateful by officials who prioritise infrastructure over people.
“The lives lost cannot be replaced, but the lives of those left behind can still be rebuilt with compassion, courage, and justice. We appeal once more to His Excellency, Governor Seyi Makinde, to honour his promise and take decisive action to bring healing and justice to Bodija. Bodija must not be forgotten. Bodija deserves healing. This is our plea!”